Also read: LGBT, civil rights, same-sex marriage, law, religion, atheist

Christian conservatives often use the phrase "a sacred institution between one man and one woman" when they argue that same-sex marriage is bad for the American family. Yet after reading a blog post by Rob Thomas--the rocker--on HuffingtonPost.com, it caused me to stop for a few minutes. I sat in utter silence during that timeframe. And I started to ask myself over and over and over: When was the last time any of these right-wingers came out screaming about marriage between a man and a woman who are atheist?

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I couldn't recall a single instance.

We are told, over and over, that same-sex nups would ruin the beautiful institution known as marriage. All of the sacredness granted by God would be lost if, heaven forbid, two men or two women loved each other so much that they'd want to live together, as one, as their heterosexual brethren often do.

But what about atheists? They believe that there is no supreme being. They certainly don't believe Earth is just a couple thousand years old. But when they get married--by a judge, a justice of the peace or any of a number of civil servants who are permitted to oversee a wedding ceremony--aren't they, too, entering into a committed, love-based covenant that should last a lifetime? Aren't they entering into the very same commitment that millions of heterosexual Christian conservatives have entered?

So why is it we don't hear the religious right complaining about atheists getting married when they don't believe in a supreme being--a supreme being who apparently "made the rules" about who can and who can't get married?

I'll tell you why.

First, they see this issue as one that's conservatives versus LGBTs, rooted deeply in religion. The fact of the matter is that this isn't a religious issue at all; instead, it is, as DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti always reminds us, the U.S. Constitution versus a set of laws--bad laws. When you think about it, we often hear the anti-same-sex marriage crowd complaining about activist judges. It's not about the judges, either. It's about judges properly interpreting the law set forth by the Constitution. It's that simple.

Because of this misinterpretation, the far right just doesn't get it--and their values are skewed on this topic. If they were truly consistent, they'd be calling for an end to marriages for atheists, because God said marriage is to be between a man and a woman--who believe in Him. And if that man and woman don't believe in God and if they don't believe in the Bible, what business do they have getting married? Aren't they, too, ruining marriage?

The simple truth is that atheists aren't ruining marriage any more than two men or two women would for right-wing zealots.

Churches know that without the permission of the state, they could perform as many heterosexual weddings as they wanted to handle, but none of them would be legal in the eyes of the law without a license--a license that isn't issued by Rome, isn't issued by a church, isn't issued by a priest or minister.

The license that validates a wedding is issued by the government--and only the government. And with that reality, why does it become such a challenge for many to realize the institution that the right mentions so often really is a civil institution and not a religious one?

Yes, there is sacramental marriage. And no church should have to marry anyone who doesn't believe in the precepts of the church or the sacrament. (This was made abundantly clear in New Hampshire where Gov. John Lynch made certain that the state's same-sex-marriage law did not compel religious institutions to perform same-sex weddings.) The church wouldn't marry an atheist couple. And they wouldn't marry a same-sex couple either (most churches, actually). What couple would really want to be married by a representative of an institution they don't believe in?

With that said, I wonder when I'll be hearing about how atheists are ruining marriage. I know it won't be anytime soon.

I wonder when the right will realize that the true definition of marriage, as a civil institution, isn't a decree from God. It is instead a law that should protect everyone.

Take sacramental marriage and do with it as you wish. But for crying out loud, when two men or two women love each other enough to want to spend the rest of their lives together, let them! I seriously doubt they'll be knocking on the doors to the Vatican or at a mega-church to get their blessing anyway.

The opinions expressed herein are those of DiversityInc Associate Managing Editor Kevin Canessa Jr. and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DiversityInc.

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